Session III: Two Huskers Seek All-America Honors

Oklahoma City, Okla. – James Green (157) and Robert Kokesh (174) each fell in their quarterfinal match, but remain in contention for All-America status after Session III of the NCAA Championships at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Friday.

As a team, the Huskers are tied for 17th with Iowa State at 16 points through three sessions. Penn State leads the team race with 61 points.

Green, the top seed at 157 pounds, battled ninth-seeded Dylan Ness of Minnesota in the quarterfinals after earning a pair of major decisions on Thursday. Green, a two-time All-American, was pinned by Ness in 3:36 to fall to the consolation bracket. Green is 31-2 on the season and will wrestle Missouri’s Joseph LaVallee in the wrestlebacks on Friday night.

Kokesh, the No. 3 seed at 174 pounds, faced fellow South Dakota native Logan Storley, the No. 6 seed, in Session III. The pair ended regulation in a 2-2 tie, which also remained the score after the first sudden victory. Kokesh and Storley traded escapes in the first set of tiebreakers before ending the second sudden victory deadlocked 3-3.

After trading escapes again in the second set of tiebreakers, Storley took down Kokesh at the buzzer to win by a 6-4 margin. The loss snaps Kokesh’s 20-match winning streak as he drops to the consolation bracket to face Illinois’ Tony Dallago in Session IV. Kokesh is 34-2 on the season and seeks his second consecutive All-America honor.

In the consolation bracket, Tim Lambert (125) and Jake Sueflohn (149) each managed a victory before falling in their second bout. Lambert, the No. 12 seed, opened his day with a 7-3 decision over Virginia’s Nick Herrmann before falling to Lehigh’s Darian Cruz by a 7-4 margin. Lambert, a redshirt freshman, finishes his first season in the Nebraska lineup with a 24-13 mark following his 2-2 showing in Oklahoma City.

Sueflohn defeated Bloomsburg’s Bryce Busler, 8-0, before dropping a 7-6 decision to third-seeded Chris Villalonga of Cornell in the third round of consolation matches. Sueflohn completes his junior campaign with a 31-6 record.

Austin Wilson (165) and TJ Dudley (184) each fell by narrow margins in their lone match on Friday. Wilson, a sophomore, battled No. 9 seed Joseph Booth of Hofstra to extra time before falling, 4-2, in sudden victory. Wilson finishes the 2013-14 campaign with a 23-16 mark.

Dudley dropped a 3-2 decision to Kurtis Julson of North Dakota State in his match. Dudley, a redshirt freshman, finishes the season 26-8 after his first NCAA appearance.

Session IV, which consists of the championship bracket semifinals and consolation fourth round and quarterfinals, starts tonight at 7 p.m. CT. The semifinals will be aired on ESPN, while the other matches will be streamed online on ESPN3.

NCAA Championships
March 20-22, 2014
Chesapeake Energy Arena
Oklahoma City, Okla.

125 pounds
First Round: #12 Tim Lambert (NEB) by dec. over David White (BING), 5-1
Second Round: #5 Dylan Peters (UNI) by dec. over #12 Tim Lambert (NEB), 7-5
Consolation Second Round: #12 Tim Lambert (NEB) by dec. over Nick Herrmann (UVA), 7-3
Consolation Third Round: Darian Cruz (LEH) by dec. over #12 Tim Lambert (NEB), 7-4

149 pounds
First Round: #6 Jake Sueflohn (NEB) by tech. fall over Christian Barber (UNC), 16-0
Second Round: #11 Joshua Kindig (OKST) by dec. over #6 Jake Sueflohn (NEB), 7-5
Consolation Second Round: #6 Jake Sueflohn (NEB) by major dec. over Bryce Busler (BLO), 8-0
Consolation Third Round: #3 Chris Villalonga (CORN) by dec. over #6 Jake Sueflohn (NEB), 7-6

157 pounds
First Round: #1 James Green (NEB) by major dec. over Joshua Kreimier (AF), 14-3
Second Round: #1 James Green (NEB) by major dec. over #16 Zac Brunson (ILL), 14-3
Quarterfinals: #9 Dylan Ness (MINN) by pin over #1 James Green (NEB), 3:36

165 pounds
First Round: #10 Cooper Moore (UNI) by dec. over Austin Wilson (NEB), 5-3
Consolation First Round: Austin Wilson (NEB) by dec. over Zach Toal (MIZZ), 6-1
Consolation Second Round: #9 Joseph Booth (HOFS) by sudden victory over Austin Wilson (NEB), 4-2

174 pounds
First Round: #3 Robert Kokesh (NEB) by major dec. over Jacob Scheffel (WVU), 10-1
Second Round: #3 Robert Kokesh (NEB) by major dec. over Conor Brennan (RID), 14-5
Quarterfinals: #6 Logan Storley (MINN) by tiebreaker 2 over #3 Robert Kokesh (NEB), 6-4

184 pounds
First Round: #8 TJ Dudley (NEB) by major dec. over Donald Patrick (DAV), 13-5
Second Round: Blake Stauffer (ASU) by dec. over #8 TJ Dudley (NEB), 7-2
Consolation Second Round: Kurtis Julson (NDSU) by dec. over #8 TJ Dudley (NEB), 3-2

Heavyweight
First Round: #11 Austin Marsden (OKST) by major dec. over Collin Jensen (NEB), 10-2
Consolation First Round: Nick Tavanello (OHST) by pin over Collin Jensen (NEB), 3:41